Tuesday

Apr 28, 2020 at 12:31 PMApr 28, 2020 at 12:31 PM

GRAFTON -- With 48 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Grafton as of April 27, Dr. Michael Hirsh of the Worcester Regional Health Alliance told the select board last week residents should “remain vigilant.’’

Dr. Hirsh told the select board at its April 21 meeting via Zoom that health and government officials believed the number of COVID-19 patient admissions and ICU patients would start to decline by the end of April or early May due to all the isolation measures.

On Monday, Gov. Charlie Baker announced that the state is seeing a “flattening of the curve’’ of COVID-19 cases, but urged people to continue to stay-at-home until he makes a decision perhaps later this week to ease some of the social distancing restrictions.

Despite some positive news, Dr. Hirsh stressed that people should “remain vigilant,’’ about wearing face masks, continue to shelter-in-place, maintain social distancing, and wash their hands to stem the spread of this serious respiratory virus.

But, hope may be on the horizon. Dr. Hirsh told the select board that a COVID-19 vaccine could be nine-to-12 months away. Drugs used to treat HIV and Ebola are “showing some promise,’’ he said.

Dr. Hirsh said medical professionals dealing with the health crisis are sometimes working 18-hour days, demonstrating an enormous dedication and expertise, he said.

“They are working hard, dangerous shifts,’’ he said.

He praised the “amazing’’ collaboration between St. Vincent’s Hospital and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in dealing with this crisis. He noted that 140 hospital staffers have tested positive for COVID-19, but none have been hospitalized and many have returned to work after recovering.

To assist during this health emergency, first- and second-year medical students are tutoring children of medical staff. Medical students are also acting as "Elder Buddies," a program where students are paired with home bound senior citizens by contacting them several times a day to provide a human connection.

Karyn Clark, director of the Worcester Regional Health Alliance, told the select board that volunteers are needed during the crisis and afterward. When a vaccine becomes available, every town should be prepared to set up emergency dispensary sites to provide mass vaccinations, she said.

One of the difficulties with controlling the spread of this virus is that there is an “enormous number of asymptomatic people,’’ who are unknowingly spreading the virus which makes testing so important.

Describing COVID-19 as a “very pesky virus,’’ Dr. Hirsh explained that medical professionals are seeing unexpected symptoms such as diarrhea and heartburn. Some younger patients are experiencing a loss of the sense of taste and smell, he said.

And, a group is looking at death certificates to see if COVID-19 may have caused clotting issues leading to a heart attack or stroke.

Even after the current crisis subsides, Dr. Hirsh said it is unknown if this virus will mutate into something worse. But, at this point, communities like Grafton are showing their “grit and resilience,’’ to push through the pandemic.